Northland Pines board hears year‑one review of Purposeful People and Character Strong curricula

Presenter outlined the districtwide implementation plan for Purposeful People and Character Strong and said the curricula were delivered districtwide this school year.

The district presenter said staff training included a three‑hour in‑service session and monthly people‑services meetings, and that building teams adapted the plan to local needs. "We established that district wide plan, and then that is what we use for implementation over the course of the year," the presenter said.

Why it matters: trustees were shown both quantitative and qualitative feedback as officials assess whether to adjust lesson content, scheduling and family communication before a wider rollout.

Staff survey results showed mixed but generally positive comfort levels. According to the presentation, teachers delivering Purposeful People averaged about 3.9 out of 5 on implementation comfort and Character Strong averaged about 4.0 out of 5; other priority measures ranged from the low 3s to low 4s depending on the question (examples cited by staff included feedback opportunities, developmental appropriateness, and integration into academic routines).

Teacher and staff voices provided concrete classroom examples. Jennifer Leslie, a third‑grade teacher at Eagle River Elementary School, described using morning meeting prompts and journal prompts to connect character lessons to reading and writing assignments: "One of my students raised a hand and said that character is being an upstander because he did what was right even though it was hard," Leslie said, describing how students applied the month's trait to classroom literature and personal writing.

Eagle River counselors and staff described the district's tier‑2 approach. Michelle Poppy, a school counselor at Eagle River Elementary School, explained the nomination and team review process that places students into skill‑based small groups (coping, regulation, relationships, self‑management) or into performance‑based supports such as check‑in/check‑out. Gretchen, an elementary staff member involved in implementation, said each small‑group sequence includes eight lessons and scripts to share progress with families so caregivers can support skill practice at home.

Staff and paraprofessionals said the new curricula expanded reach. Mary Laskowski, a middle‑school paraprofessional, said teaming non‑certified and certified staff for advisories has broadened student access and helped form relationships across classes. Staff reported that Eagle River ran roughly eight groups last year (about 20–21 students served) and has run about 20 groups this year (about 52 students served), "roughly 2.5 times as many students" reached so far, with plans for more groups next trimester.

Parents: the district summarized parent survey responses to family activities associated with the curricula: approximately 26.6% reported participating in a family pursuit or character dare, 32.2% said they were aware but had not engaged, and 41.1% said they had no knowledge of the materials. On communication about program goals, 42.1% rated the school's communication good or excellent while 57.9% rated it fair or poor.

Board reaction and next steps: trustees and administrators agreed to refine tier‑2 scheduling, revisit 4K vocabulary concerns, localize lessons when necessary, and expand family communication (including sharing lesson videos and varied home activities). The presenter said administrators will revise the implementation plan and consider mentor assignments and additional staff familiarity work before broader changes are made.

The board did not take a formal vote on curriculum changes during the meeting; the discussion concluded with staff committed to continued review and targeted adjustments in response to feedback.